On picking up where we left

I haven't posted any updates for quite a while. Mostly because I had nothing remotely interesting to say on the subject. Not that I consider any of my previous notes particularly interesting. Or that I have anything to say now. Save perhaps for the observation that translating fiction isn't quite what I've expected.

Don't get me wrong, the fact that I finally get to translate an actual work of fiction is most exciting. It's just that the fiction in question isn't particularly good. And here's the dilemma: should I translate the book for what it is, i.e. a mediocre piece of thriller with a far-fetched plot, unconvincing characters and not particularly interesting historical background, dutifully rendering the boring dialogues, the pointless descriptions and the vain attempts at humor? Or should I polish it up here and there, perhaps delete a particularly useless passage, perhaps enhance a description of a building with some detail that would help the readers visualize it?

So far, I've been doing the latter, but recently I've been thinking if what I'm doing is still translation. Or am I writing my own story here?